The wars of Alexander: an alliterative romance translated chiefly ...

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290 NOTES TO pp. 12— 19, 11. 368—580.
MSS.) for the letter z. Ethis euer elike, conjures continually. The
verb etheu is only known to occur in two other passages, both in
Gawayne and the Grene Knyght, 11. 379, 2467
" Fyrst I e];>e pe, hajjel, how ]pAt j)OM hattes."
I. e. first I conjure thee (to tell me), noble one, what is thy name. And
again
" perfore I e]pe \>e, haJjel, to com to ])y naunt."
Dr. Morris translates it b}' ' ask,' and Matzner thinks it may be allied to
the word ask. Both have missed the obvious etymology. The M.E.
e (when long) often corresponds to A.S. ce, as being a modification of d
;
as in ehie, possessions, from A.S. ceht, a derivative of dgan, to own. So
also here, eihen = A.S. ceian*, to conjure by oath, from di5, oath.
This sense explains all three passages.
368. "Then shall I cherish thee with such demeanour as if thou
wert my child," The translator has quite missed the point. Lat. " le
quasi patrem pueri habebo ; " a 2, col. 1. In fragment A. 771, this is
given correctly.
397. " For it (the child) and Philip her husband were related afar
off," i. e. were not sufficiently nearly related.
403. " Even to the value (lit. weight) of a pea."
408. See note to fragment A. 808.
421. "Make his market with her." Doubtless a proverbial phrase.
423. See notes to fragment A. 826, 837.
427. The hounde. Surely the translator must have read his text as
having cursus (not currus) solis. Bounde would signify limit, orbit.
Tliis is verified by 1. 442, where we have the very word "course." So
also in A. 853. Other versions have t/cruVw/ua r]\iov (see Notices des
jManuscrits de la Bibl. du Roi, xiii. 233, Append.) ;
solis effigies, solis
forma (id. 270) ; and le char du soleil (id. 296).
440. Chefe sail, shall achieve, or attain to be.
464. " Either meat has mended thee," i. e. food has fattened thee.
477. Read pe na for fe
"
fe. No blame shall be to thee from me,
nor from any man else."
488. Here the translator again appeals to the Lat. text, which
reads : "Anectanabus autem per artem magicam induit formam draconis,
et per medium triclinium discumbentium transiens fortiter eibilabat, vt
conuiuantes omnes pauore ac perturbatione maxima torquerentur ;
a 2, back, col. 1. Cf. Gower, C. A. iii. 74 ; also Alex. A. 981.
p. 209.
501. So also in Gower, C. A. iii. 76; and Alex. A. 999.
525. See the French version of this passage, as given in Alex. A.,
532. For doute, a better reading would be doutis, i. e. fears.
539. " On account of the pain I go nearly mad, and I suffer such
woe that I would rather be dead (lit. it were dearer t» me to be dead)
than thus remain alive."
580. Schoutid ; Mr. Stevenson prints schouted, but the Lat. text
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